08:22Jamie Fenn · Demo
Pro Editor vs. DaVinci Resolve's New AI Edit Agent
A working editor sets up DaVinci Resolve's new Claude MCP integration, gives it one real editing task, and races it on the clock.
September 10thThe argument in one line.
When an AI agent drives a video editor through MCP tools instead of mouse clicks, it can turn raw footage into a polished, still-editable commercial from a single prompt.
Read if. Skip if.
READ IF YOU ARE…
- A freelance video editor or YouTuber who spends hours on first drafts and wants to know if an AI agent can do the rough assembly.
- Someone already using Codex or Claude Code who wants a concrete example of MCP controlling a creative app instead of a computer-use agent clicking around.
- A creator comparing Premiere Pro against newer, lighter editors that expose tools to AI agents.
SKIP IF…
- You want a feature-by-feature head-to-head of FilmCraft and Premiere Pro. The host says outright this was one task, not a full comparison.
- You need a step-by-step MCP setup guide. Codex does the install in the video and the host never shows the commands.
The full version, fast.
The host installs FilmCraft, a 71 MB editor from the Artcraft suite, and asks OpenAI Codex to connect to it over MCP on its own. Codex finds the docs, configures the link and reports 17 available tools. He then hands it a 38-second voiceover, a music track and 58 travel clips with a single prompt to build a premium ad for a fictional agency. Codex picks 17 shots, adds transitions, color, titles, subtitles and an end card, checks its own export, fixes artifacts and finishes in 13 minutes 49 seconds. The result is an editable project, not a flat video.
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00:00 – 00:49
01 · The experiment
Premiere Pro framing, then the setup: Codex, a voiceover, travel footage and a music track for a fictional agency.
00:49 – 01:35
02 · Artcraft and MCP
The Artcraft app suite, the earlier PhotoCraft test, and a short explainer of what MCP is.
01:35 – 02:54
03 · Installing and connecting
Installing FilmCraft from the launcher (71 MB), then asking Codex to set up the MCP integration itself. It finds 17 tools.
02:54 – 05:10
04 · The editing prompt
The assets and the full instruction: edit to the narration, add music, transitions, color, text, subtitles and an end card, then export 1080p.
05:10 – 06:26
05 · Codex goes to work
Codex scans 58 clips, times the 38-second voiceover, builds the timeline, then self-checks and fixes artifacts.
06:26 – 07:20
06 · The finished ad
The 42-second Beyond Horizons Travel commercial plays through to the end card.
07:20 – 08:57
07 · Verdict and editable project
The host reacts, reviews the editable timeline layers and says little would need changing.
08:57 – 09:42
08 · Is it better than Premiere?
A measured answer, a note on time saved, and a call for the next MCP app to test.
Lines worth screenshotting.
- MCP lets an AI agent issue editing commands directly to an app, so it never has to drag clips around with a virtual mouse.
- FilmCraft downloads at only 71 MB, which is small for a full video editor.
- Codex installed and configured the FilmCraft MCP integration from one plain-language request, with no manual setup from the host.
- After connecting, Codex reported 17 FilmCraft tools covering media import, project inspection, timeline editing and preview.
- The test gave the agent 58 mixed b-roll clips and no pre-arranged sequence, so every shot choice was the model's.
- Codex did not stop at the first export. It checked the result, spotted artifacts, corrected them and re-verified.
- The finished 42-second 1080p ad used 17 selected shots, color adjustments, transitions, titles, subtitles and mixed audio.
- The agent handed back an editable project with separate shot, subtitle, audio and graphics layers, not just a flattened MP4.
- The host estimates the same ad would take him a good few hours by hand, against under 14 minutes for the agent.
- The host stops short of calling FilmCraft better than Premiere Pro. This was one task, not a full feature comparison.
- The prompt told Codex to explain any unsupported feature instead of falling back on another editor, which kept the test honest.
What an AI agent can do inside an editor
WHAT TO LEARN
Giving an agent tool access to an editor, not a mouse, is what turns raw footage into a finished and still-editable first draft.
- MCP gives the agent named editing tools, so it works faster and more reliably than an agent clicking through a screen.
- A plain-language request was enough for Codex to find the docs, install the integration and confirm 17 working tools.
- Judge agent output by testing a broad brief with messy inputs, as the host did with 58 unsorted clips and no shot list.
- A good agent run includes self-review: Codex checked its export, found artifacts and fixed them before reporting done.
- Prefer tools that return an editable project over a flattened export, so you can refine the agent's first pass.
- Treat this as a first-draft accelerator. The host saves hours on assembly but does not claim it beats Premiere Pro overall.
Terms worth knowing.
- MCP (Model Context Protocol)
- A standard that lets an AI agent talk to software through named tools instead of operating the interface with a mouse and keyboard.
- Codex
- OpenAI's coding agent, used here as the AI that connects to FilmCraft and makes every editing decision.
- Artcraft
- A suite of creative apps with a launcher, including the PhotoCraft image editor and the FilmCraft video editor.
- B-roll
- Supplementary footage, here stock travel clips, laid over the voiceover to illustrate what is being said.
Things they pointed at.
00:20toolOpenAI Codex
00:40productFilmCraft
00:49productArtcraft
00:54productPhotoCraft
01:21toolModel Context Protocol (MCP)
03:25toolChatGPT (used to write the editing prompt)
00:20productAdobe Premiere Pro
Lines you could clip.
00:20
“I won't be placing clips on the timeline or choosing the shots myself. Codex will have to make those decisions.”
05:36
“It's not dragging clips around with a virtual mouse. It's issuing editing commands directly to the application.”
08:50
“Not just a finished export, but a project I can take over and refine.”
Word for word.
Read-along
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Adobe Premiere Pro is one of the biggest names in video editing. But what happens when the person doing the editing isn't a person at all? Today, I'm testing Filmcraft, a video editor from the makers of Artcraft.
And what interests me isn't just what Filmcraft can do on its own. It's whether an AI agent can actually use it to edit a complete video. I'm going to give OpenAI's Codex a voiceover, a folder of travel footage, and a music track, and ask it to turn those into a polished advert for a fictional travel agency.
I won't be placing clips on the timeline or choosing the shots myself. Codex will have to make those decisions. Can it produce something that I'd be happy to deliver to a client?
And does Filmcraft give AI an advantage over a more traditional editing workflow? Let's find out. Filmcraft is part of Artcraft.
a suite of creative applications covering everything from image editing to video, audio, and design. I recently tested PhotoCraft, the suite's image editor similar to Photoshop, by getting Codex to recreate an AI -generated book cover as a layered, editable design. The result was surprisingly good, and this time we're moving into video editing, which is a much bigger challenge.
Filmcraft will need to handle the timing of the voiceover, select appropriate footage, and put together a coherent sequence. The key feature we're testing is MCP, or Model Context Protocol. It lets the AI agent communicate with compatible software through tools, instead of having to operate every control with a mouse and keyboard.
That's the theory. Let's get it running. First, you'll need to download the Artcraft launcher.
I have it installed. It's a pretty straightforward process. This is where you install and manage the applications in the suite.
Here's the launcher. You can see Photocraft at the top because I've already installed it. There are quite a few other applications available, but the ones I haven't installed yet are grayed out.
We've got tools for illustration, page layout, audio, spreadsheets, presentations, and much more, and the list keeps growing. Today, we're interested in Filmcraft. I'll click install.
The download is listed as only 71 megabytes, which is remarkably small for a video editor. And after just a few minutes, Filmcraft is installed. There it is alongside Photocraft, ready to open.
Now we need to connect Codex. I could work through the installation instructions myself, but that wouldn't be much of an AI experiment. Instead, I'm going to give Codex one straightforward request and see if it can work out the setup.
Here's my prompt. Please install and configure the official Filmcraft MCP integration so that you can control Filmcraft directly. Find the official documentation, handle the installation and configuration and verify that the connection works.
Once successfully connected, tell me what Filmcraft tools you can access. Do not start editing any videos yet. And that's it.
Codex goes off, finds the official documentation, installs the necessary components and configures the connection. After a few minutes, it's finished. And more importantly, it's verified that the connection works.
It can now access 17 Filmcraft tools, including commands for importing media, inspecting projects, editing and previewing the timeline. So now it's time for the real test. With Filmcraft connected, let's see whether Codex can actually edit something worthwhile.
I've used ChatGPT to write a single editing prompt. I'm going to read it out and then give Codex the job and leave the creative decisions entirely to Codex. Here's what I'm giving it.
A recorded voiceover, the script, background music, and a folder of travel footage. And these clips were deliberately a mixture. We've got beaches, cities, mountains, people, and all sorts of travel imagery.
I haven't arranged them into a sequence or told Codex which shots to use. So here's the instruction. I want you to use Filmcraft through MCP to create a professional cinematic travel agency advertisement.
All the assets are in my travel ad folder, including a voiceover, script, music, and a folder of travel b -roll footage. The fictional agency is called Beyond Horizons Travel. I want you to handle the entire editing process independently.
Analyze the footage, select the best shots, and edit them to match the narration. Add the music, balance the audio, and use professional transitions, color correction, animated text overlays, and motion graphics. Also, create accurate, synchronized subtitles.
Finish with an animated end card featuring the agency name and the tagline, Your World, Your Adventure, Your Story. Make it look like a premium travel advertisement, with cinematic pacing and polished production. Use Filmcraft's MPC tools for the editing.
not another video editor. Don't ask me to make creative decisions. I want to see what you can produce entirely on your own.
Save the editable Filmcraft project and export the finished video in 1080p to an output folder inside the project directory. If any requested feature isn't supported, explain the limitation rather than using another editor. And that's it.
Let's see what happens. Now, although that prompt is quite broad, Codex isn't using computer use to edit the video. It's communicating with Filmcraft through the MCP connection we just configured.
So it's not dragging clips around with a virtual mouse. It's issuing editing commands directly to the application. First, it finds the project assets and examines all 58 B -roll clips.
It also checks the timing of my voiceover, which is about 38 seconds long. Then it starts making its own choices. And look at this.
The project is already taking shape in Filmcraft. We can see the travel footage on the video track, narration and music on separate audio tracks, and captions above the video. It's also building graphics and adding transitions.
And it's not just putting clips end -to -end. It's matching footage to the script, introducing animated titles, and creating a branded ending. After around seven minutes, it produces its first export.
But it doesn't stop there. It checks the result, notices some unwanted artifacts, makes corrections, and verifies the output again. That's actually quite impressive.
And it's not simply assuming that because the video has exported, the job is finished. And here we go. It says that it's complete.
The entire process took... 13 minutes and 49 seconds. It's produced a 42 second commercial in 1080p using 17 selected shots with color adjustments, transitions, titles, subtitles and audio mixing.
But that report doesn't tell us whether it's actually any good. Let's watch the finished advert. What if your next journey could be more than just a holiday?
Imagine waking up to the sound of the ocean. Exploring extraordinary places, discovering new cultures, breathtaking landscapes and moments you'll remember for a lifetime. From tropical beaches and vibrant cities to unforgettable adventures off the beaten track, the world is waiting to be discovered.
At Beyond Horizons Travel, we believe every journey should be extraordinary. So, wherever your dreams take you, let us help you get there. Beyond Horizons Travel.
Your world. Your adventure, your story.
Wow. I genuinely wasn't expecting that. The footage choices are incredibly impressive.
The scenes fit the narration, the pacing feels deliberate, and it doesn't just look like a random collection of stock clips. The voiceover is crystal clear, the background music sits perfectly underneath it, and the subtitles seem to be lined up with what I'm saying. And...
Look at the details. The text overlays are beautifully positioned, the transitions are subtle, and the whole thing feels remarkably polished. Even the end card looks like something you'd expect to see in a finished commercial.
For a first pass from one prompt, I'm genuinely blown away. And... Codex hasn't just delivered a flattened video, it's given me the editable Filmcraft project as well.
You can see the individual shots, the subtitle track, the separate audio layers, and the graphics. And if I wanted to change a shot, move a title, or rebalance the music, I can still do that. That's exactly what I want from an AI -assisted editing workflow.
Not just a finished export, but a project I can take over and refine. Although, to be fair, on this occasion, I can hardly find... anything I'd want to change.
I have to say, this has genuinely shocked me. I expected Codex to assemble something reasonable. I didn't expect it to produce an advert that looked this polished from one prompt in under 14 minutes.
That sort of thing would probably take me a good few hours to do it myself. Now, does that mean Filmcraft is a better video editor than Premiere Pro? Not necessarily.
Premiere is a much more established application and this wasn't a head -to -head test of every feature. But for this particular task, letting an AI agent take a folder of raw assets and turn them into a finished editable commercial, Filmcraft's MPC workflow is seriously impressive. This workflow is genuinely going to be useful to me because I do a lot of video editing and this is going to save me lots of time, at least to get a first draft done.
And I want to test more of these MCP -connected creative applications, and I'd love to know which one you'd like me to try next. If you enjoyed this experiment, subscribe to Applaurable. I'll be putting more AI tools through real -world tests just like this one.
Thanks for watching, and I'll see you in the next one.
The Hook
The bait, then the rug-pull.
Can an AI agent edit a whole video by itself? Applorable hands Codex a voiceover, a music track and 58 stock clips, then lets it drive FilmCraft over MCP with no human editing decisions.
Named ideas worth stealing.
03:30model
Agent-driven edit test
- Supply raw assets only
- Give one broad prompt
- Forbid creative questions
- Require editable project plus export
- Require limits be explained, not worked around
The structure of the test prompt: assets in a folder, an outcome-focused brief, full autonomy for the agent, and a deliverable that includes the editable project.
Steal forany test of whether an AI agent can run a creative app end to end
How they asked for the click.
VERBAL ASK
09:24subscribe
“I'd love to know which one you'd like me to try next. If you enjoyed this experiment, subscribe to Applorable.”
Soft ask tied to a viewer vote on the next MCP app, which gives people a reason to comment.
Visual structure at a glance.
